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Minor Transactions: 12/06/19

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The NHL has just five games on the schedule for this evening, including Phil Kessel’s return to Pittsburgh and a matchup of two last place teams in New Jersey. As teams prepare for a big weekend, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Aleksi Saarela for the first time since acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks in late-October. Saarela has now amazingly been traded three times in his short career but is still waiting for his first NHL opportunity. The 22-year old was picked in the third round by the New York Rangers and was originally part of the deal for Eric Staal in 2016.
  • Jonathan Davidsson, another one of the Ottawa Senators’ top prospects, has been recalled to the NHL once again. The 22-year old forward was part of the return for Matt Duchene last season and made his debut for the club earlier this year.
  • Because the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t playing today, they’ve sent Cory Conacher back to the minor leagues. Conacher has served as injury insurance the last while for the Lightning, but Alex Killorn was healthy enough to suit up last night.
  • The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Filip Zadina as expected, after giving him the week with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings had several days off between games, during which Zadina played another AHL game to stay fresh.
  • Boo Nieves is on his way back to the AHL, assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers today. Nieves has played four games in the NHL this season but is still more of a minor league depth option at this point.
  • Cameron Schilling has been returned to the Manitoba Moose without playing in a single game for the Winnipeg Jets. The 31-year old defenseman has just ten NHL games over his career, four of which came last season with the Jets.
  • Otto Koivula has been returned to the AHL after playing fewer than five minutes in his last game for the New York Islanders. The young forward is an interesting prospect, but was seeing so little ice time in his first NHL season that the minor leagues may still be best for his development.
  • Nikolay Goldobin has been returned to the AHL after playing just a single game for the Vancouver Canucks since his recall two weeks ago. The 24-year old has been great at the minor league level once again, but can’t seem to get himself a chance at the NHL.

MacKenzie Weegar To Return From Upper-Body Injury On Saturday

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  • Florida is set to welcome MacKenzie Weegar back into their lineup on Saturday. Head coach Joel Quenneville told Jameson Olive of the Panthers’ website (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been cleared to return from his upper-body injury, one that caused him to miss the last eight games.  The 25-year-old was off to a hot start offensively before getting injured; his 10 points through 17 games was two-thirds of the way to his career-high that was set last season.

Poll: Which Teams Will Buck The Thanksgiving Playoff Trend In 2019-20?

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Just how important is playoff position in just the second month of the regular season? Very, if you look at recent results. Over the past six years, more than 70% of teams in a playoff position at American Thanksgiving have held on to their spot. While last year was slightly below the mark – 11 of 16 teams (69%) in a playoff position on November 22 qualified – the standings at the time were even more predictive than usual. The Lightning, Predators, Flames, Maple Leafs, Jets, and Sharks all finished in the same divisional seed that they occupied at Thanksgiving.

So who were the outliers in 2018-19? Obviously, the St. Louis Blues’ return from the basement of the league standings to win the Stanley Cup is a story that will stand the test of time. However, four other clubs also turned their seasons around: the Islanders, Penguins, Hurricanes, and Golden Knights. And the teams whose seasons took a turn for the worse: the Sabres, Wild, Rangers, Canadiens, and Ducks. Ironically, the Canadiens were narrowly inside the playoff window on Thanksgiving and ended up just barely outside in the spring. Meanwhile, the Ducks, Oilers, and Coyotes were all tied for the lowest playoff-qualifying record on Thanksgiving, with the Ducks getting the tiebreaker at the time, and all three failed to qualify for the postseason.

This season has gotten off to an unpredictable start, which could potentially threaten to derail the Thanksgiving trend. Several teams considered Cup contenders are currently outside the playoff picture, while multiple surprises currently occupy a spot. With Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, this is the current status of the NHL standings (reminder – points percentage is the ideal way of viewing NHL standings):

Eastern Conference

M1 New York Islanders (.773)
A1 Boston Bruins (.771)

M2 Washington Capitals (.740)
M3 Carolina Hurricanes (.646)

A2 Tampa Bay Lightning (.619)
A3 Florida Panthers (.604)

W1 Pittsburgh Penguins (.625)
W2 Philadelphia Flyers (.604)

Outside the Playoff Picture: Montreal Canadiens (.563), New York Rangers (.545), Columbus Blue Jackets (.522), Buffalo Sabres (.521), Toronto Maple Leafs (.520), Ottawa Senators (.479), New Jersey Devils (.435), Detroit Red Wings (.327)

Western Conference

C1 St. Louis Blues (.680)
P1 Edmonton Oilers (.673)

C2 Dallas Stars (.615)
C3 Colorado Avalanche (.609)

P2 Arizona Coyotes (.620)
P3 Vancouver Canucks (.560)

W1 Winnipeg Jets (.604)
W2 Nashville Predators (.543)

Outside the Playoff Picture: San Jose Sharks (.540), Chicago Blackhawks (.521), Anaheim Ducks (.500), Vegas Golden Knights (.500), Calgary Flames (.481), Minnesota Wild (.480), Los Angeles Kings (.417)

2018-19 playoff teams jump off the page as potential candidates to disrupt the status quo. Particularly in the Pacific Division, it is hard to image none of the Golden Knights – who beat the Thanksgiving odds last year – the Sharks or the Flames will make the playoffs, especially as they look up at the Oilers, Coyotes, and Canucks.  There could also be hope in West for the Ducks and Blackhawks, who sit at .500 currently. Over in the East, the Maple Leafs stick out like a sore thumb among non-playoff teams and could be line for improvement following their coaching change. But will it be enough given their difficult start? The Canadiens will also hope for a reverse of fortunes from last year, going from first team out in the conference at Thanksgiving to in the postseason come April. The Sabres have started hot and collapsed two years in a row, but there is still time for them to turn things back around. All three Atlantic clubs see a Panthers team with plenty of problems ahead of them in the standings right now. Meanwhile, the Rangers and Blue Jackets will look to make an unlikely run to the postseason as they chase down the Flyers.

What do you think? Which of these teams will find their way into the playoff picture and which will fall victim to the Thanksgiving postseason trend? Select as many teams below as you like, but remember that for every addition, there has to be a subtraction of a current playoff team.

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Florida Panthers Demote Sam Montembeault

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The plan in net seemed so simple for the Florida Panthers. The team made two huge splashes on the goalie front this summer, signing top available free agent Sergei Bobrovsky to a long-term deal and drafting top available prospect Spencer Knight with the No. 13 overall pick. The team believed they could lean on Bobrovsky, a netminder capable of making 60+ appearances in a season, for many years to come before eventually moving on to Knight as the starter. All they needed was a backup who could put up decent numbers in limited action for a few years while bridging the gap to Knight. They believed the man for the job was Sam Montembeault.

On many levels, that plan has not worked out for Florida and now changes are being made. The team announced that Montembeault has been reassigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds with Chris Driedger getting the call as his replacement. Yet, the issues in net truly stem from the keeper not involved in this transaction: Sergei Bobrovsky. After inking a seven-year, $70MM contract this off-season, the Panthers $10MM man has been nothing but a massive disappointment. Bobrovksy is in the midst of the worst season of his career – and it’s not particularly close. He holds an .888 save percentage and 3.44 GAA, both well worse than his existing career lows. Yet, the Panthers have had little choice but to continue playing him over the inexperienced Montembeault. In fact,  Bobrovsky actually leads the league with 20 appearances. He has started 19 of the team’s 24 games despite a paltry .368 quality start percentage.

Bobrovsky may be on pace for 65 starts, but Florida still likely did not plan for Montembeault to have made five starts and two relief appearances at the quarter pole of the season. The 23-year-old was supposed to have a sheltered role, but has instead been exposed frequently early this season; and it shows in the results. Montembeault has been just as bad as Bobrovsky, posting an .889 save percentage and 3.31 GAA. The young keeper, who can still be moved to the minors without needing waivers, has been asked to do too much and now the team has opted to send him to the AHL, where he can hopefully see some consistent action and re-discover his game against weaker opposition. Whether or not they trust him to be back as Bobrovsky’s backup anytime soon remains to be seen.

If there is one silver lining to this situation, it is that Driedger will get a chance to show what he can do at the highest level. Two of Driedger’s three NHL appearances have been shutouts, but that hasn’t stopped him from also spending time in the ECHL in five of the past six seasons as he has continually been passed up on the depth chart. Driedger has earned a real chance in the NHL, especially as he sports a .983 save percentage and 2.08 GAA in 14 appearances for Springfield this year. The 25-year-old former Ottawa Senators prospect will undoubtedly get another NHL opportunity soon given Bobrovsky’s play and his edge in experience over the previous backup Montembeault. Who knows, he could even be a candidate for a Jordan Binnington-esque storyline this season if the Panthers’ starter continues to falter. The Panthers could use that sort of breakout, as they undoubtedly are already re-thinking this summer’s big investment.

Minor Transactions: 11/25/19

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A new week is upon us in the NHL and nine games will kick things off tonight. That schedule includes the struggling Calgary Flames heading to Pittsburgh to try and get another win to slow the bleeding, while the super-hot Dallas Stars welcome the Vegas Golden Knights into their arena. With plenty of action on the schedule we’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to prepare.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Matthew Highmore from the minor leagues, his first opportunity at the NHL level since the 2017-18 season. That year Highmore played in 13 games for the Blackhawks and scored two goals, but missed most of last season with a shoulder injury.
  • Riley Stillman has been sent back to the AHL by the Florida Panthers, while the team takes a few days off. Florida doesn’t play again until Wednesday, when they will try to stop their short two-game losing streak in its tracks.
  • After just a couple of days in the minors for cap reasons, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee have been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers. Both players were in the lineup when the Flyers took on the Calgary Flames on Saturday and were sent down just to bank some cap space on the off day.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Jean-Sebastien Dea from the AHL, giving them another option with Evan Rodrigues unavailable for tonight. While Dea gives the Sabres a fine option, the team is really testing their organizational depth with all the recent injuries.
  • Daniel Carr has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, a little more than a month after he cleared waivers and was sent down. Carr absolutely tore up the AHL during that time, posting 21 points in 16 games. The 28-year old is an elite AHL offensive weapon, but has just 103 NHL games under his belt.
  • Jack Studnicka and Brendan Gaunce have both been recalled by the Boston Bruins. The team will not have Patrice Bergeron, Brett Ritchie or Par Lindholm for their two-game road trip that starts tomorrow in Montreal.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Michael Hutchinson, sending Kasimir Kaskisuo back to the minor leagues. The backup goaltender usage under new head coach Sheldon Keefe isn’t clear, but the Maple Leafs do have a back-to-back situation coming up this weekend.

Atlantic Notes: Yandle, Mantha, Johansson, Brannstrom

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Any doubt that Florida Panthers fans may have had that defenseman Keith Yandle’s iron man streak could be over after the veteran took a puck to his mouth and lost nine teeth in the process (video here), were relieved this morning. NHL Network’s Ryan Whitney reports that Yandle had dental surgery this morning and is expected to play tonight to keep his streak alive.

Yandle, who currently leads all active NHL players with 820 consecutive games played, took the puck to his face in the first period Saturday, missed the second period, and returned to play during the third period. The 33-year-old Yandle is only 10 games shy of catching Andrew Cogliano, whose streak stopped in 2017 at 830 games and is in fourth place. Doug Jarvis holds the iron man record at 964 games played.

  • NHL.com’s Dave Hogg reports that the Detroit Red Wings will be without forward Anthony Mantha for at least a week with a lower-body injury. It’s a tough injury to swallow for a team with the worst record in the NHL with just 17 points this season. Mantha has been one of the few bright spots this season as the 25-year-old has 12 goals and 23 points in 25 games, which has him on target for career highs. Mantha scored 25 goals last season.
  • The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that forward Marcus Johansson will miss games today against Florida and Monday versus Tampa Bay with an upper-body injury. Head coach Ralph Krueger said he hopes to get Johansson back early next week. The 29-year-old has four goals and 10 points in 17 games this season, but remains on injured reserve. The team will have to make a move to activate him.
  • The Ottawa Senators should be getting back one of their young talents sooner than later as defenseman Erik Brannstrom is close to returning. The 20-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury for the past three games, but could still be out another week, according to head coach D.J. Smith. “He’s close,” said Smith. “We just didn’t want to put him through that practice today so he’s going to stay home and he’ll practice with us when we get back. He’s probably within a week.” Brannstrom has two assists in 19 games.

Micheal Haley, Dryden Hunt Put On Waivers

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Monday: Hunt has cleared waivers and was assigned to the minor leagues immediately. Haley has also cleared.

Sunday: Two more names have hit the waiver wire as Elliotte Friedman announces that the New York Rangers have put enforcer Micheal Haley on waivers, while the Florida Panthers have done the same with winger Dryden Hunt.

Haley’s time was coming in New York. His playing time was decreasing by the game as the 33-year-old “tough guy” was only averaging 5:49 on the ice. Haley may have worn out his welcome on the team’s two-game trip to Florida where he racked up 24 penalty minutes against Tampa Bay in 4:09 of ice time on Thursday and then immediately picked up two more after 1:26 on the ice against Florida on Friday after which he was benched for the rest of the game. To make matters worse for the Rangers, they found themselves on the penalty kill 10 times between the two games, allowing seven power play goals. With a penalty kill ranked 29th with a 73.2 percent success rate, Haley, and his ability to accrue penalties, might seem expendable.

Hunt, on the other hand, has not been productive on an offensive standpoint. The 23-year-old has no goals and just four assists over 20 games and has just one assist over his last 11 appearances. His playing time seems to have dwindled as well over the last few games, playing a season-low 7:50 against the Rangers on Saturday. While he’s been known as a hard-worker, Hunt just hasn’t been able to justify his place with the Panthers due to his lack of production. Hunt did produces at the AHL level last year, scoring 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games, while scoring three goals in 31 games with Florida last season.

Snapshots: Brodie, Luongo, Vande Sompel

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There was a frightening moment at Calgary Flames practice today when defenseman T.J. Brodie collapsed and started convulsing on the ice. Paramedics were called to the rink and Brodie was transported to hospital. He was “alert and responsive” according to the team, and has been discharged.  A further update is expected on Friday morning.

Everyone in the hockey world is hoping for a speedy recovery for the veteran defenseman.

  • When Roberto Luongo took a job with the Florida Panthers, questions started being raised about the cap recapture penalties that his retirement had caused earlier this summer. The Panthers and Vancouver Canucks are currently dealing with cap penalties because of the structure of Luongo’s contract, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that there will be no relief given now that he is employed by Florida once again. Both teams and the league addressed the issue before the hiring and determined that it was not cap circumvention in any way. LeBrun goes on to examine the other potential recapture situations around the league.
  • While providing updates on several of his injured players, New York Islanders Lou Lamoriello told reporters today that Mitch Vande Sompel will likely be out for the entire season. Vande Sompel suffered an injury in training camp when he crashed into the net and has been on season-opening injured reserve all year. The 22-year old defenseman scored 31 points in 70 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season and was an up-and-coming prospect for the Islanders.

Florida Panthers Hire Roberto Luongo

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Retirement won’t last long for Roberto Luongo. The Florida Panthers have officially announced the hiring of Luongo as special advisor to the general manager, bringing him back into the organization. GM Dale Tallon explained how much the former goaltender means to the Panthers:

I’ve had the honor and privilege to work with Roberto during his time playing for the Panthers and am proud to welcome him to our franchise’s hockey operations staff. Roberto always approached every game with an unmatched work ethic and we are confident he will take to this new role with the same passion. A cornerstone player in our franchise’s history, we are thrilled that ’Lu’ will have a hand in shaping our franchise’s future.

Luongo retired from the NHL this offseason after a long, long career. He played more games in net than any player in league history other than Martin Brodeur, and ranks third in wins only behind Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Regarded as one of the league’s best netminders for nearly that entire period, he nevertheless only got to play in 70 total playoff games, reaching the Stanley Cup Final just once when he was with the Vancouver Canucks.

In March, the Panthers are set to retire Luongo’s sweater number.

Eastern Notes: Barrie, Brassard, Trocheck

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Tyson Barrie tallied 28 goals and 116 points over the previous two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche and the general belief was that after the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired him in an offseason trade last summer, Barrie would continue that offensive success in Toronto. So far that’s not been the case as the 28-year-old blueliner has struggled to find his footing.

In fact, TSN’s Mark Masters writes that Barrie doesn’t look like the aggressive blueliner who dominated in Colorado. While he has five assists this season for the Maple Leafs, he only has one assist over his last 14 games.

“It’s different switching teams,” said Barrie, “and switching teams and coaches and the whole thing so you’re just trying to feel it out a little bit and I’m still feeling some teammates out and trying to get some chemistry going and its tough. I wish I had the answers for it.”

One significant difference is that in Colorado, he quarterbacked the power play, while in Colorado, Barrie has averages just 2:09 of power play for the game.

“We feel he’s gotten better & better. We really feel our pairs are starting to come, all three of them,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “Pairs take longer than lines, just because you’ve got to know the nuances of one another …. he’s going in the right direction, just like our team.”

  • Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that with the return of winger Jordan Eberle to the first line, New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz opted not to return fill-in Derick Brassard back to centering the third line, where the veteran struggled at before Eberle’s injury. Instead, Trotz had Brassard join Brock Nelson as the team’s second-line winger in hopes of generating more offense from Brassard, who thrived on the wing. Brassard had a career-high five-game goal streak on Thursday, which was five games he was on the first line.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards reports that Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was eased into the lineup Saturday in Florida’s game against the New York Islanders. Trocheck, who suffered a lower-body injury when blocking a shot against Nashville on Oct. 19, returned to the team’s second line, but played just 15:35. Head coach Joel Quenneville said he was trying to save him for Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers.

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